What’s in a Name?

Researchers Simon Laham of the University of Melbourne, Adam Alter of New York University Stern School of Business, and Peter Koval of the University of Leuven, Belgium, have discovered in their research “that if parents really want the best for their kid, they’re better off choosing a simple name that rolls off the tongue,…” The summary of this new finding appears in an article “People With Easy-to-Pronounce Names More Likely to Succeed, Study Says” by Clair Gordon on the AOL Jobs blog. The article further specifies that people with easy-to-pronounce names were viewed more positively than those with unusually spelled or unusually pronounced first names.

Gordon asserts that past research made related findings. The following are examples:

People with African American-sounding names – less likely to be called back for a job interview

Children with popular names – less likely to get into trouble with the law

Girls with more feminine names – less likely to pursue math and science

Boys with names that are also common among girls – more likely to suspended

This research, however, presents a new aspect for parents to consider–“the name pronunciation effect.” According to Alter, “Independently of all those other features of the name, the mere ease of pronunciation is enough to drive outcomes. There’s sort of a warm glow associated with things that are easy to process.”